Today, I’m going to take a few minutes and discuss how to build rapport with your MLM prospects. When I think of the word rapport, I think of it as goodwill. It’s the like, know and trust factor you have with your prospect.
People want to do business with people they like, know and trust. That is fact.
Most people have a natural barrier towards salespeople. Whenever they figure out someone is trying to sell them something, they put up their defensive mechanisms.
One of the best things you can do is build some rapport early on in the conversation with your prospect so that they will listen to your sales message. In the paragraphs below, I will share 11 things you can do to build rapport with your MLM prospects.
11 Ways to Build Rapport with Your MLM Prospects
# 1: Look for Things You Have in Common
The first thing you want to do is you want to look for things that you have in common with your prospect. What does this mean? You could ask them a couple of questions about their favorite sports team, where they went to college, what they do for a living, where they are from, what are their hobbies, etc. Ultimately, you are looking for something you both have in common.
Maybe you’re both mothers. Maybe you both attended the same college. Maybe you’re from the same state. Maybe you both vacation in the same spot. Once you identify something you both have in common, the conversation typically flows much smoother.
# 2: Ask Questions and Listen
The next tip I can share with you is to ask questions and listen. You have two ears and one mouth for a reason. Use them in that proportion.
You can’t learn anything by talking to your prospect, but you can learn valuable information about your prospect if you listen to what they say. The person who’s asking questions is in complete control of the conversation. You are listening so you can identify your prospect’s wants and needs. Once you do that, you can offer a viable solution. Learn to be a good listener and you will be welcomed wherever you go.
And remember this, the best salespeople are good listeners, not good talkers.
# 3: Treat Your Prospect with Respect
Next, you want to treat the person you are talking to with respect. What does this mean? It means you should use your best manners, be polite and show up on time. Start and end every appointment on time. Treat the person as nice as you would treat your best friend. Do not pre-judge your prospect based upon their gender, age, race, how they dress, or how they talk.
# 4: Repeat the Person’s Name
To most people, their name is their favorite word in their entire vocabulary. The more you can say someone’s name in a conversation, the more they’re going to like you.
Here’s what I recommend you do when you first meet someone and learn their name: repeat their name back to them at least four or five times, especially in the first part of your conversation. This will help ingrain their name in your memory. If you don’t say their name a few times, you’re going to forget their name within one or two minutes of talking to them.
# 5: Be Punctual
Let’s face it, time is money. If you say you’re going to do something and be somewhere at a certain time, show up on time! Do not be late. Start and end your meeting on time. Value the other person’s time!
# 6: Smile
Smiling is a great way to build a rapport with your MLM prospects. People love when people smile at them. I’m not talking about a fake or creepy smile either. Just be nice and use a genuine smile, especially when you first start talking with someone. You don’t have to smile constantly throughout your presentation, but make sure you smile a few times.
# 7: Put Yourself in Their Shoes
Put yourself in your prospect’s shoes whenever possible. Think of things from the other person’s perspective. It’s very easy to get stuck in your own paradigm; your own way of thinking. You want to remove yourself from that way of thinking and ask yourself the following questions:
- What would I do if I was the prospect right now?
- What would I want?
- What would I be thinking about?
If you can do that, you’re going to build up strong rapport with your prospect.
# 8: No Hype, Hard-Selling or Pressure
Never, ever use hype, pressure or hard-selling.
You want to act like a lamb and sell like a lion. You want to be calm, cool and collected. Come from a position of strength, not a position of desperation.
Focus on the benefits and always ask for the sale, but make sure you act like a professional at all times.
# 9: Focus on What’s In it For Them
People care about themselves, not you.
Whenever you are talking with your prospects, always focus on what’s in it for them! How do they benefit? What do they gain if they buy your product or service, or join your business?
Most amateurs make the mistake of talking about themselves. Remember, your prospect does not care about you. They care about themselves.
If you can show them how THEY benefit, they will buy or join.
# 10: Maintain Good Eye Contact
Maintain good eye contact with your prospect. Don’t give them a creepy stare and look like a stalker. Just make sure that most of the time you are talking, and listening, you are looking them in the eye.
Maintaining bad eye contact will do more harm than good. If you are constantly looking away, or down at the ground, your prospect will NOT trust you. Good eye contact is critical for building rapport with your prospects.
# 11: Model Your Prospect’s Body Language
Whenever possible, model your prospect’s body language. If they’re leaning forward in their chair, you lean forward. If they have one leg crossed, you cross one leg. If they’re leaning back in their chair, you lean back a little bit. If they’re smiling, you smile back at them.
These are all examples of modeling someone’s body language. This is a very simple way to get a prospect to like you, know you and trust you, and to get them to feel comfortable around you.
Tips from the Experts
To make this post interesting, I figured I would add in some tips from the experts. Here’s what others have to say about building rapport with your prospects.
It is a well-understood fact that, people usually open up more with those, who are good to them and know what they are thinking. This creates a sense of trust which builds a good rapport. It is also said that people usually buy from those who think alike, as they feel that these people would know the exact requirement. In this case, it is also important to know that if you are talking to your prospect over the phone, you reduce your chances of letting them know that you understand their concern. It is often said that being physically present has a much bigger impact than being on the call. Therefore, if you empathize with someone, make it a habit to let them know about the same by being physically present.
Source: InsideSalesBox.com
Be friendly. Chilly people get chilly reactions from others. Approach rapport building with the intent to be warm and friendly. Smile, give a firm handshake, make eye contact, and engage. Do so in an authentic way. If you’re forcing the friendliness, buyers will notice and your attempts will backfire.
Most of us know someone who wanted to be liked so he “tried hard,” but it didn’t work. In trying to be liked, he appeared needy and conspicuous. You can’t force rapport. Show interest, but don’t act subservient, overly friendly, or too pushy. If you come on too strong, you’ll only be seen as inauthentic and turn the other person off.
Source: RainSalesTraining
The average person carries around a lot of negative preconceptions about sales professionals. Perhaps the biggest one is this: A salesman comes after you no matter what. It doesn’t matter if the product isn’t right for you. In some cases, it doesn’t even matter if you don’t have the money.
Nobody wants to deal with that – so start by proving you’re on a different level.
How? It’s actually simple: Admit that this person you’re talking to might not be a customer.
A good sales call is a collaborative process. In this case, we’re defining good as something that not only leads toward a sale, but gives someone confidence to continue working with you – now or in the future. And you can’t collaborate if you come in with preconceptions.
The biggest preconception is that you’re going to make a big sale – no matter what.
What happens when you start off by admitting that you’re not sure if your solution is the right one, but you want to work together to find out? Three things:
- You grant them power by giving them “permission” to tell you if your solution fits;
- You induce them to invest in the process – to make a decision, they have to listen;
- You create a space where they can let their guard down and see you as a partner.
Starting this way colors the entire interaction going forward, so use it well.
Source: Blueleadz.com
Final Thoughts
In review, these are 11 tips on how to build rapport with your MLM prospects. I’m sure there are a hundreds of additional things you can do to build rapport with your prospects. I would argue that if you could master these 11 things, you would build stronger, better relationships with more of your prospects. I hope you got some value out of today’s training.
What are your thoughts? How do you build rapport with your MLM prospects? Leave a comment below and let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing from you.
Chuck Holmes
20+ Year Network Marketing Professional
Top Earner & Top Recruiter
Email: mrchuckholmes@gmail.com
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